Raven Dizon
Wing Commander Raven "Mulawin" Dizon is the foremost protagonist character in the upcoming InsurgentAces Creatives story, Ace Combat: Insurgent Skies. A Maharlikan ace known for being a caring and compassionate leader towards his own men, he is man highly revered in the story, and well-respected among the International Joint Security Forces' own Air Force. Early Life Born and raised in Maharlika before the Miracle of the Lagusnilad River, Raven is a man grounded on being simple, down-to-earth, and undoubtedly kind and dedicated. The eldest of eight siblings, two of which are half-siblings, Raven has mastered the art of rearing for his family since age 8 when both his parents died in a car accident. A top performer in college, he used to be a radio and print media cub reporter for The Malaya Daily News and DZXM-AM covering the general assignments beat, until he resigned at age 19 to join the Maharlikan Air Force Fighter Pilot School (Villamor Flight School). Pre-IJSF Career An experienced commander and class topnotcher, Raven’s many tours earned him the respect of his comrades and fellow commanders, but politics got in the way of making this young man’s dream come true. However, his promotions became well enough that he enjoys the rare privilege of one of the youngest Wing Commanders in Maharlikan history. This experience allowed him to be able to join the ranks of Task Force ATLAS, serving as executive officer of the 21 Special Air Combat Squadron "Valiants". He selected Harris Hanwell, an ISC mercenary, Sulaiman Arvian, the famous Night Fighter Ace of Afzalia, a young rookie pilot named Karl Geronimo from Emmeria, Belkan Air Force ace Ashley Hartmann, and Osean fighter jockey Reginald Aleksandersson to serve with him. During his time in ATLAS, he served under the command of Colonel Johnson Nathaniel. But upon its initial defeat against the Pax Aeterna in 2015, he and Ashley went to Kunthea and assisted the fledgling South Kunthean Air Force in the Kunthean Civil War. This in turn became the 111 Volunteer Fighter Unit, which drew recruits such as Nichihanese Lieutenants Irina Himiko and Hiromi Sonoda, Osean Lieutenant Theo Aleksandersson (Reginald's brother), mercenary Arvo Vecroze, and Yuktobanian Air Force pilot Ignat Pavelovich. 111 VFU successfully repelled the Dominatus-led North Kunthean state and successfully reunified the country. This paved the way for him and his fellow pilots to enter the International Joint Security Forces (IJSF), and joined its cause to fight off a newly-refreshed adversary. Leading the Sky Knights and Presumptive Death Upon his entry to the IJSF, he became the first commanding officer of the newly-formed 303 Tactical Fighter Squadron "Sky Knights". The new alliance, led by Field Marshall Isoroku Nishimura, launched it's initial offensive to liberate the Grand Duchy of Recavia, held by the kleptocratic Forelli criminal family, which has ties to what has now become "Pax Aeterna". The country is liberated in the course of several battles which tested the new coalition's mettle. However, in the battle to save Cenizia, the Recavian capital, his MiG-21-93 encountered mechanical failure and he decided to seemingly sacrifice himself, colliding the ill-fated aircraft into the Pax's new weapon: The Argalon aerial fortress. His plane was then found and a body was recovered. At the time, he was thirty-eight years old. The officer was given a send-off and a funeral in his native land, and his family endured the outpouring of support for its own son. IJSF members attended the funeral, and Maharlikan flags were flown at half-mast. Establishing "The Ascension" Unbeknownst to everyone, Raven managed to escape in the nick of time with a little help from Recavian sympathizers who recognized him. He managed to escape the purge and head to Nordennavic, where he regrouped the surviving members of a unit he had formed after ATLAS's defeat, the 17th Air Command Squadron, and a few more volunteers. This led to the birth of The Ascension, his own rebel movement which was covertly allied to the IJSF. Those who did not join or have not heard of the Ascension remained with the IJSF, such as Police Inspector Gary Ferdinand Erana, who rescued Raven's long-time comrade, Colonel Sulaiman Arvian in Yuktobania, and his personal protege, then-Flight Lieutenant Heinrich "Rick" Jessel. Arvian and Jessel took their places in Raven's old unit, while Gary became the commander of the 307 Base Security Squadron. He remained mostly in a leadership and guidance role, having sustained injuries and took this time to heal. The organization was blown from cover when IJSF agents led by Special Agent Lovelle Geronimo encountered Ascension forces and their base was infiltrated. He was spotted by Geronimo's team, who immediately captured photographs of him covertly. He was able to escape Nordennavic to look for a better and more covert working environment. He led The Ascension's first major operation in Afzalia to rescue his colleague Harris Hanwell, but at the expense of majority of his men and equipment. Having to face shortages of men and arms, He, Harris, and one of his 24 students named Kurenai Koizumi helped re-engineer what remained of the Ascension's air unit. Competencies and Flying Style Being a time-tested officer, he is a very adaptable yet often sensitive leader. A man well-versed in interception (e.g. shooting down large aircraft such as bombers) and beyond-visual-range combat (as evidenced in his personal choice of weapons, the SAAM or the XMA4), he is definitely a bane in medium-to-long range combat against any Pax Aeterna aircraft. On ground operations, he prefers to use long-range anti-ground missiles, as well as large unguided bombs. Personal Life Raven is married to his wife, Corrine Dizon, and has three children from their marriage: Agnes Kate, Alexander Andrew, and Jay Angelo. He lives simply in Maharlika, as his salary is used to help pay off his other siblings' needs and his own family's necessities. A simple man with a nose for leadership, Raven believed in the power of people, as he is a well-liked figure. He treats most of his subjects as if they were brothers and sisters, and makes sure that their needs are well-met. A motivational speaker, he also sees the good in each person, but can also be easily angered when the people closest to him are provoked. Selflessness is also his game. He offered to sacrifice himself, without fail, to stop the Argalon from burning Cenizia. An avid cook, he is seen in the story personally preparing meals for his fellow airmen. Trivia *Raven's callsign, Mulawin, is taken from the Philippine telefantasya ''(fantasy series) of the same name, aired by GMA-7. Ironically, the series' antagonists are named "Ravena". *His officer number (O-1047630) is referenced from two radio stations based in the Metro Manila market; namely 104.7 Brigada News FM, and DZMM Radyo Patrol Sais-Trenta (630 kHz). *His family also shares the names of several Filipino drama series characters. His wife (Corrine) is named after one of the protagonists of the drama series Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita (Where Were You When I Needed You?) and his children (Agnes, Xander, and Jay) were named after the main love triangle surrounding the hit romantic series Forevermore. Both drama series aired on ABS-CBN. *During his tenure as the Ascension's leader, his Mirage 2000-5's body number was 1027. This roughly translates to "October 27", the date when Forevermore first aired. *His Su-37's aircraft number (t/n 900210) is based from the now-defunct series ''Beverly Hills 90210.